What is Language Processing Disorder?

What are the symptoms, and can you treat it?

Language processing disorder might be the most important cognitive skill delay you have never heard of. It’s a processing difficulty that undermines all language skills, and that includes listening accuracy, language comprehension, speech, reading, and reading comprehension, and thinking – we think in our native language.

While parents tend to be proactive with expressive language (delayed speech), receptive language delays (listening) caused by language processing disorders are often overlooked and actually are more critical. A child’s learning success depends on accurate listening and attentiveness in class, phonemic awareness for reading, and social interaction.

The good news is that language processing is a cognitive skill that improves with cognitive skills training.

What is Language Processing Disorder?

While central auditory processing disorder (APD) refers to difficulty identifying and retaining sounds after the ears have “heard” them, language processing disorder is narrower in scope. It’s a difficulty in processing language. A person who struggles to interpret sounds — processing sound where there is background noise or has difficulty sequencing sounds, for instance — will almost definitely have difficulty processing language.

Language processing disorder does not describe a conductive hearing loss (hard of hearing). Most children with LPD have normal peripheral hearing.

It is more about processing—what you do with the language once you hear it. Individuals with LPD have difficulty attaching meaning to words, sentences, and stories. That’s because listening requires so much effort, sometimes described as listening through water.

Therefore, because language is not clearly received, language mastery is slowed. Vocabulary learning, recognition of grammar, spelling, and language syntax patterns, and the ability to take in increasingly complex information in class are slowed.

It’s better to be an Auditory Learner

Babies hear language around them and naturally try to learn that language. With normal auditory development, they rely on listening to learn, i.e., they are naturally auditory learners. A child might have a visual or kinesthetic learning style because their listening skills are not functioning properly – those learning styles are not the brain’s first choice.

Auditory learning is just as important in middle school and beyond. By middle school, most children can listen accurately. Learning, however, requires a higher level of language processing. Learners must be able to process and think critically while listening. Language processing disorder requires extra effort to listen, which can detract from thinking.

Finally, we think in language. It’s the “operating system” of the brain. Compromised language development impacts our ability to think quickly. In this way, language processing disorder profoundly impacts a person’s life. Everyone should be an auditory learner, if possible.

Symptoms Of Language Processing Disorders

There are three types of language processing disorders: receptive, expressive, and language disorder (also known as mixed receptive-expressive). They can be defined as how we understand what is communicated to us by others, how we express ourselves verbally, and a combination of the two. Although each involves listening and speaking, language processing disorders are not synonymous with hearing loss, mispronunciation, or speech disorders.

Language processing disorders concern difficulty with how the brain processes language.

The most common receptive language processing disorder symptoms are:

Difficulty Following Directions
If your child is processing language at a slower rate than a teacher or parent is talking, he will either miss information or just tune out.  This applies to following directions at home and listening in class.

Trouble Rhyming At An Early Age
Rhyming displays language dexterity. If your child had difficulty with rhyming at 3-4 years of age, this is a sign that speech and language processing skills may not be developing normally. Rhyming is the most reliable predictor of future reading skills.  Children who cannot rhyme early on are at-risk readers.

Vocabulary, Pronunciation, and Grammar Concerns
Children with language processing disorders tend to have underdeveloped vocabularies and poor grammar skills compared to their peers. This is because much of what they hear sounds muddy or unclear. Naturally, they only use words they are sure they heard correctly, limiting their spoken vocabulary. In addition, because they have to concentrate hard on listening, they cannot observe and learn conventions such as grammar and syntax.

Attention Deficits
A child who has difficulty listening in class will lose focus due to exhaustion and/or lack of interest. While this is often diagnosed as ADD or ADHD resulting in medication, very often poor focus is entirely due to language processing disorder.

Inconsistent Performance
Children with language processing difficulties often struggle in noisy environments such as classrooms. This sometimes results in up-and-down performance that is frustrating for parents and children.

Reading Difficulty
Reading requires accurate phonemic awareness, the ability to hear the sounds inside words. This is a challenge for children with language processing disorder. Most children with language processing disorder symptoms develop reading problems or are diagnosed with developmental dyslexia.

Symptoms of Expressive Language Disorder Include

• Frequently feeling like a word is on the tip of one’s tongue, yet just out of reach
• Able to illustrate or describe a word, but cannot recall the word
• Frustration over having a lot to say, but being unable to articulate it
• Having a limited vocabulary compared to peers
• Giving responses that are often off topic
• Leaving words out when talking
• Confusing word order when speaking
• Taking a long time to respond to questions

As the symptoms indicate, students with language processing disorders can have difficulty in school and communicating with family and peers. Because information in the classroom is often delivered faster than individuals with language processing disorders can interpret it, they frequently have difficulty following along. This can hinder achievement and lead to attention issues.

Classmates may also exclude these students from conversations and activities or the individuals may try to avoid stress and anxiety by withdrawing from social situations. In some instances, frustration with communication challenges can even result in acting out or behavior issues.